Sandeshkhali sting operation: Plea in Supreme Court seeks SIT probe

A plea has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) to ascertain the genuineness and veracity of the video of a sting operation relating to the Sandeshkhali incident on rape and sexual assault of women..The sting operation video showed a person revealing that the rape charges against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh were false and that the people of Sandeshkhali had "acted upon instructions of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to obstruct the TMC leaders and put them in bad light."Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy mentioned the case before a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta.The top court directed that the request for listing shall be considered and appropriate orders be passed..The application by a woman was filed through advocate Udayaditya Banerjee and said that women in Sahdeshkhali were made to sign blank papers which resulted in false rape complaints against TMC leaders. "In order to ascertain the on ground situation and in view of the sensitivity of the issue at hand, the applicant has prayed for constitution of a Special Investigation Team to conduct an independent investigation which shall be monitored by the Supreme Court," the plea said.The plea said that the Court should examine the video in question which would reveal how constitutional authorities and investigating agencies were being influenced.."Statements in the YouTube Video reveal a shocking turn of events and this Hon’ble Court ought to issue directions for constitution of a Special Investigation Team (“SIT”) which shall carry out a court monitored independent forensic investigation of the audio and video in question. The matter at hand is highly sensitive in nature and this Hon’ble Court ought to peruse the YT Video attached herewith which would reveal how the constitutional authorities and investigation agencies were influenced to participate in engineering the protests," it was submitted.